UFFA FOX (1898-1972)
Uffa Fox was born in 1898 on the Isle of Wight and grew up on
Cowes waterfront. When his school days were over he began an
apprenticeship with SE Saunders, boatbuilders. Even then they
were engaged with high sped craft like Maple LeafIV which was
capable of over 50 knots.

Uffas apprenticeship lasted seven years covering
boatbuilding, shipbuilding and design. At the age of 21 he set up
his own boat building business. As premises he acquired an aged
floating bridge which had linked Cowes to East Cowes.
The central part was roofed over to provide a workshop. The prow
at one end formed a gangway to the shore and the other became a
slipway for launching boats into the river. The passenger
accommodation was converted to a drawing office and living space.

We would not like to give the impression that he was a model
citizen. As an example he was made a Scout Master by the Sea
Scout Committee. On one of his excursions as Scout Master and at
a time when he was unemployed he dediced that it was time to
blood the troup. He took Valhallas
whaleboat with his Scouts to France-in the summer holidays. There
was a total of 10 crew ages ranging from 14 to 18. Uffa swore
them all to secrecy and told them to tell everyone that they
would be camping in the Solent area. In fact they were trying to
reach Paris via the Seine. On returning home they were greeted
 by some very angry parents. The committee resigned en bloc
and Uffa was charged with irresponsibility and placing young
lives in jeopardy. He became a martyr to the scouts but the devil
to the parents. It turned out that the team hadnt
quite made Paris but had turned back only 20 miles short. (Tony
Dixon has a very amusing illustrated talk on the trip which is
well worth booking for your yacht club).

Uffa was the father of the planing dinghy. Having worked on high
speed power craft, Uffa believed tha if a dinghy hull were made
the right shape, and her crew held her upright, she could be made
to plane over the surface. He was a little diffident about it but
finally gave his theories full rein in the International Fourteen
Footer Avenger. In 57 starts in 1928
she gained 52 first places, two seconds and three thirds
including winning the coveted Prince of Wales Cup. A large order
book was soon built up and for many years his were the most
sought after designs.

Following the success of the Fourteens he applied the concept to
other classes. He designed and built two sailing canoes which
Roger De Quincy and himself took across the Atlantic and brought
back many trophies including the International Canoe Trophy.

Uffa was forever coming up with new designs and was always ready
to prove them with a practical demonstration. A typical example
was Vigilant, a 22 Square Metre with
such extreme light displacement that the Q Class
refused to allow her to race with them in the Solent, yet her
design and construction was substantial enough to be sailed to
Sweden and back in a summer of strong winds.

People had grown accustomed to his eccentricities but he
certainly raised some eyebrows when he took off across the
English Channel in a two man sliding seat canoe, Brynhild.
Uffa and his crew (also his chief draughtsman) Bill Waight
crossed to Cherbourg in twelve hours and then cruised the North
Britanny coast. In those days few people attempted anythig so
audacious.

Prior to the second world war Uffa had established his name
primarily in the world of dinghies, where his designs dominated
the National Twelves, Fourteens and Eighteens.

During the second world war Uffa conceived the idea of the Airborne
Lifeboat, a vessel to be carried beneath aeroplanes
and dropped by parachute to survivors of ditched aircraft.
Lightly built, with lines that blended to the shape of the planes,
the Airbornes had sails, engine, survival kit and instructions on
how to sail. Many aircrews owed their lives to Uffas
invention. Years later he was caught by Eamon Andrews on the
television programme This is Your Life where many of
the airmen that had been rescued by the were able to thank him.
For all his success in the field of yacht racing he maintained
that this was his most fulfilling design.

Immediately after the war he was closely associated with Fairey
Marine of Hamble who built hot moulded boats to his design.
Included in the impressive list were International
Fourteens, Firefly, Swordfish, Albacore, Jolly Boat, Duckling
and the cruiser Atalanta.

Although he had been well known in yachting circles for many
years it was Uffas association with royalty which spilled
his name over on to the broad mass of the British public. He and
the Duke of Edinburgh raced together on the Dragon Bluebottle.
The royal helmsman, with Uffa as crew, was also prominent at
Cowes Week in the Flying Fifteen, Coweslip.
This 20 foot keelboat was one of Uffas most successful post-war
designs.

Out of the Flying Fifteen
design came Uffa's next wave of inspiration, producing a range of
planing keelboats from the Flying Ten
through to the Flying Twenty Five. Then
using similar hulls he produced a range of cruiser/racer yachts
from the Flying Twenty Five through to
the Flying Fifty. (The Flying
Thirty and Thirty Five
designs actually planed in the right conditions!)

Uffa was married three times. His first wife was Alma who played
a large part in his early career including preparation of much of
his five pre-war books. In 1941 he married Cherry and then in
1956 a French lady Yvonne Bernard. This was an interesting match
as Uffa spoke no French and Yvonne no English!

His last residence was the Commodores House, overlooking
Cowes harbour. it is a 300 year old warehouse with its own
quay. With balconies added and painted in gay colours it has a
rather Italianate air. Designed specifically for his old age he
had a lift fitted serving all three floors and the roof garden.

In the 1960s Uffa became associated with the American yachtsman
and boat builder George ODay. This liason resulted in the Daysailer
and Javelin classes which people in UK
probably do not realise are Uffas most numerous classes.

The last boat Uffa designed for his own use was a 25 foot launch Ankle
Deep. She was built in the basement of the
Commodores House and lived suspended in davits from his
quay. The boat was used for fishing and picnics. His last
excursion on the Solent was to watch the start of the 1972 Tall
Ships Race hailing his friends in the great mass of spectator
boats.

Uffa died in October 1972. Trinity Church at Cowes was packed for
the service at which the lesson was read by his great friend Sir
Max Aitken. A memorial service at St Martin In The Fields London
was equally packed and attended by amongst others the Duke of
Edinburgh.

He will be remembered not merely as a yachtsman and designer, but
as a writer, phiosopher and character the likes of which will
never be seen again.

(This is of necessity a very brief biography of the man. Refer to
the bibliography section of the web site for more reading).